Ex-WWE Star Dave Bautista Joins Bruce Willis, Jane Levy in New Movies

Former WWE star Dave Bautista is deepening his resume in the movie business. Between Guardians of the Galaxy, where he played the hilarious badass Drax, and the upcoming James Bond movie Spectre, in which he’ll play the considerably-less-hilarious badass Mr. Hinx, the former WWE champ is certainly a busy man. But he’s signed on for two new action movies.

First up, Bautista has been cast in the new action movie, Marauders, opposite action legend Bruce Willis. Production is scheduled to begin later this month in Ohio. While not much is known about Bautista’s character, the story centers on an FBI agent on the trail of a group of Robin Hood-esque bank robbers who’ve given their ill-gotten money to charity. However, the agent discovers secrets about the bank owner over the course of the investigation that threaten to change everything. Willis will play the bank owner, which means it’s plausible Bautista could play the FBI agent, although I suppose he could also be one of the robbers. Either way, I’m interested to see how he does in a more dramatic, serious role.

Credit: Hitfix

In addition to Marauders, Bautista has signed on to star in Bushwick, an independent action movie centering on a war veteran who teams with a 20-year-old during a domestic crisis in which Texas tries to secede from the United States, all while using New York City as a bargaining chip. Bautista will play the war veteran, Stupe, while Levy will play the girl, Lucy. The premise is ambitious, but it actually sounds pretty damn awesome, all things considered. If nothing else, it’s an interesting departure from the norm, since we don’t get many modern civil war-type dramas.

Neither film has a release date just yet, but with the release of Spectre just months away, and a new Guardians of the Galaxy on the horizon, it doesn’t look like Bautista’s star will fade any time soon.